Ask Not the Sparrow How the Eagle Soars!
by Z.R. Stein
Summary: Because everyone needs a best friend, even if that friend happens to be a sentient sailor uniform. Begins Post KLK, Pre Worm.
1. Prologue

**Z.R. Stein**

**Ask Not the Sparrow How the Eagle Soars - A Worm/Kill la Kill Crossover AU**

**I do not own the characters of the respective properties in any way, shape, or form.**

**It's time for crossposting boys and girls! If you've been wondering why I haven't been writing on for the past...what's it been, two years now? Well, I have been writing, quite often, in fact, but on Spacebattles. And I figured hey, why not port them all over here so that people can read them as well?**

**I probably won't be actually writing any ****_new_**** chapters for any of these fics anytime soon, though.**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

X X X

Prologue

It was a particularly sweltering August night when Taylor Hebert's life changed forever.

She was lying in her cabin, staring up at the rough timber ceiling and thinking about her current situation. Summer camp had offered up a welcome escape to relative normalcy in the aftermath of her first year at Winslow. No Emma or Sophia, no daily abuse and barbed insults; it was, in Taylor's mind, just short of paradise. Sure, Camp Campbell was run down and the counselors didn't seem to care, and the other campers were a mix of sullen teenagers-a few of whom were probably gang members-and the beds were lumpy and there were reputed to be leeches in the lake and...Taylor sighed and rolled over. Regardless of the imperfections of the camp, no one targeted her specifically, and she could just sink into obscurity like she wished she could every day at Winslow. Blissful anonymity. It said something about how shit her life was that she actually welcomed that.

Though, there was a small part of Taylor that felt anxiety at being back at Camp Campbell. The last summer she had attended, her life had been...well, not perfect, but certainly much better. Emma had still been her friend, she had still talked to Dad, even if they was more distance between them than there used to be before Mom's death. She had been just another student, just another girl excited and nervous to attend high school. And then, upon returning from summer camp, it was to find that her closest friend had abandoned her, another had taken her place, and that the two of them were set on making her life miserable.

Fucking Sophia. Fucking Emma. And she supposed, fucking Madison too.

Taylor turned over again, fluffing her pillow and trying to find a cool spot. Maybe it was just her pessimism talking, but she was scared. Scared that this time when she returned from camp, things would be even worse.

She groaned. There was a happy thought. Maybe the Camp was cursed. It honestly wouldn't surprise her.

Sitting up with a suppressed grumble, Taylor blinked blearily and groped around for her glasses; no way in hell that she was sleeping tonight. Her swirling thoughts and the uncomfortably warm and humid had seen to that.

Her feet kicked around the edge of her bed until she found her slippers, her toes burrowing in appreciatively. The young girl quietly crept out of the cabin door, trying not to wake her fellow cabin mates. She looked up at the night sky, thousands of stars winking down at her, set in inky blackness. One in particular was brighter than the others, shining boldly just to the left of the moon. The north star? She didn't know; astronomy had never really been her specialty.

Taylor yawned and stretched, several vertebrae in her back crackling pleasantly. Hopefully all the counselors were asleep as well, if they caught her out like this after hours she'd be in trouble. Though, considering how little any of them cared, it was unlikely that they'd stayed up that long. She didn't have a phone, so she didn't know exactly what time it was, but Taylor was willing to bet it was well past midnight. Now, all she needed to do was sneak into the activity center and snag some water from the cooler.

The moon provided enough light that Taylor easily picked her way along the gravel pathway, slippers crunching as she made her way. Now that she was outside the cabin, it was almost pleasant. Funny how that worked.

Taylor pushed her way into the activity center, strolled up to the water cooler, pushed down the tap, and yawned again. Maybe she just needed to move around? She thought she remembered reading somewhere online that that could help when you were having trouble sleeping.

Eh, not like it really mattered anyways. Taylor drank her water, crumpled up the paper cup and threw it away, and exited the building. She felt like she could go to sleep now, intrusive and persistent thoughts be damned. The lumpy bed that had seemed like a sweaty prison just a few minutes earlier was looking much more attractive.

Halfway back to her cabin, Taylor realized something...odd. Was it just her, or was it becoming easier to see? Taylor blinked several times; no, it wasn't her eyes being more dilated. The gravel was definitely being lit up now, a reddish shade being cast over everything.

She looked up and gaped. The star that she had seen earlier had grown in size; no longer was it a distant speck, but a roaring crimson comet that streaked across the sky (or was it a meteor?). The trail of fire was bright enough to light up the camp with a hellish glow, the lake near the camp buildings reflecting the light back erratically.

As she watched, stupefied at the display, Taylor noticed that there were pieces breaking off of the comet. Smaller pieces of red material that scattered outwards, falling down to Earth, into the forests, right towards her.

Taylor made a gurgling noise as she realized that one of the shed pieces was, in fact, on a trajectory straight towards her. She turned to run, slippers scrambling to find purchase on the gravel pathway. She made it twenty feet before she dared look back and her world exploded into pain as a loud ringing filled her ears. Everything was confusing. She didn't know where she was. She didn't-

_"Need...food..."_

-know what was happening, what was happening? There had been a meteor. A meteor that had hit her, broken her body, put her in-

_"Please...need to eat..."_

-all this pain. Just her luck, why was this happening, what was going on?

Taylor coughed, sucking in a lungful of air as she tried to marshal her thoughts. She was in more pain than she could ever remember being in before. Blinking rapidly to clear dust out of her eyes, she looked down at what remained of her lower body. She felt a rush of cold go through her when she saw that her left leg was just gone, bone protruding from the ragged stump that remained. Her other leg wasn't much better, being so burned and twisted that it looked more like a piece of half burned log than a human appendage. Her pelvis was broken as well, and she also seemed to be on fire. Taylor dully felt her lips twitch. Of course she was on fire. The universe wouldn't be satiated to just mangle her body beyond it's mortal limits.

_"Give me...need...blood."_

And now she was hearing voices. Hallucinations weren't uncommon when a person was dying, right? Taylor wasn't sure. It was becoming hard to think. Odd. Hadn't she just been complaining about how warm the night was? It was much too cold now.

_"Need...need...you! You there!"_

Taylor blinked slowly. Well...that was an odd hallucination to have.

Two meters away, trapped under a large mass of glowing and pulsating red...something (threads?)...was an honest to god piece of clothing. That was talking to her. It was itself colored black and red, two bloodshot yellow eyes staring at her. Clothes weren't supposed to have eyes. Taylor felt another minute smile on her face break out at the sheer absurdity of her situation.

_"Human! Need blood! Come, touch me! I can help you!"_

Taylor mulled the thought over in her head for a few seconds. Well...it wasn't like she had anything left to lose, right? She was dying anyways. Now...all she had to do was actually make it to the odd talking uniform.

She whimpered as she moved her body, dragging herself forwards along the ground. Her arms and hands were, luckily, mostly undamaged, and she was able to move close enough to the talking uniform that it was able to reach out one arm (sleeve?) and touch her hand.

And then, for the second time that night, Taylor's world exploded.

Her back arched in **-agony, pleasure, grief, loss-** as the uniform **-Kamui-** wrapped itself around her body, bolts of white hot lightning arcing out to strike several nearby trees. Inside of her mind, Taylor felt something crack.

**[Query]**

**[Alarm]**

**[Anger]**

**[Aggression]**

_"She is mine! Not yours!"_

Taylor screamed and a spike of white hot pain burrowed into her mind. And she knew no more.

. . .

If Dragon had eyes to narrow, she would narrow them right now. An unidentified extraterrestrial object had just passed over the Eastern seaboard, close enough to the surface that it had ignited in the atmosphere. Whatever it was, it didn't match the composition of any material in her databanks, and was giving off some extremely weird radiation. And while the object had subsequently left Earth's atmosphere on a trajectory towards the sun, it had shed several hundred pieces of itself across five states. Some of which were at least as large as semi trucks. She sent out messages to the Directors of the Boston, New York, Brockton Bay, and Philadelphia Protectorates to investigate. She needed more data.

Dragon dedicated a substantial allotment of her runtimes to examining the situation. At first glance, this had the makings of a byzantine Simurgh plot. After all, Ziz was the one who controlled the upper atmosphere. The first Tinker made space shuttles had met their demise at the hands of the 'youngest' Endbringer, after all. And yet...the next Endbringer attack was months away. If the Simurgh had orchestrated this, then the Endbringers were breaking the pattern that they had set for decades. And that was worrying. If they started attacking whenever they felt like it, human civilization on Earth Bet would be gone in a matter of years, maybe even months.

And that...that _scared_ her.

X X X

**Expect more chapters of this quite soon.**


	2. Stitch 101

**Z.R. Stein**

**Ask Not the Sparrow How the Eagle Soars - A Worm/Kill la Kill Crossover AU**

**I do not own the characters of the respective properties in any way, shape, or form.**

X X X

Stitch 1.01 (Or, How a Talking Shirt Changed My Life)

Her eyes snapped open.

It was still nighttime. Overhead, she could see the moon; it had moved enough that she could tell that several hours had passed, since...Taylor closed her eyes and tried moving her left leg. Surprisingly, she could do so without the slightest twinge of pain. Taylor tried moving her right leg this time, and again, felt no sensation of agonizing pain. Taylor breathed out and levered herself into a seated position, staring down at her...legs. Her whole, unblemished legs.

What.

The.

**Hell.**

_Ah, I see you're awake. Good. It's about time I had a chat with my new partner._

She squeaked, eyes darting around wildly, trying to find the man who had spoken. She wasn't stupid, for all that Emma had tried to make her think otherwise. She knew that strange men lurking in forests, spying on underage girls in the middle of the night probably didn't have the best intentions in mind.

_Ah...you don't remember do you. I suppose you were rather out of it for our first bonding, weren't you?_

Bonding? Taylor's eyes widened, her heart beating faster as she panicked internally. That sounded bad. Had the creepy guy been doing things to her while she slept?

_No, I...just look down._

Taylor looked down back at her legs. Despite everything, they were still just legs. Her skinny, unattractive, frog-like legs, clad in a pair of red and black pajama pants that she...that...that she...

She didn't own any red and black pajama pants.

_Down here. On your chest._

Taylor numbly moved her gaze further up her body to her chest, where a pair of large, bloodshot eyes were staring at her, unblinking. She gazed at them serenely, the sheer absurdity of the situation briefly overriding her panic. One of her fingers reached up and poked one of the yellow pupils.

_Hey, that hurt! Watch where you're shoving your fingers girly, I don't even know where they've been! The eye that she had poked scrunched up, then both slits glared at her._

The panic came back with a vengeance "MOTHERFUCKER!"

Taylor threw herself backwards, scrambling around on the ground.

"GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFF!" she screamed, pulling at the pair of sentient pajamas that were talking to her.

_Calm down! I can explain-_

"-OFFOFFOFFOFFWHATTHEHELLAREYOUEVEN-"

_-just like Ryuko when she first wore me, straight to panic-_

"GET OFF OF ME!"

Taylor grabbed the hem of the pajama shirt and began pulling it off, straining with all of her spindly-armed might to pull the offending article off. It refused to budge, even as she braced herself against a tree, her feet digging into the loamy dirt underfoot. Why wouldn't it just come off!? What kind of crazy, fucked up sociopath attached living clothing to people...oh god, maybe, maybe this was the Nine's doing. This seemed like something they would do. She remembered watching a documentary on the Slaughterhouse Nine one night while Dad was asleep. She'd had nightmares about it for weeks. Mannequin especially had creeped her out.

The shirt made a grumbling noise, it's eyes narrowed.

_Would you just listen to me already?_

A brief jolt of pain ran through her body, and her limbs collapsed under her, twitching spasmodically. Taylor moaned softly, head lolling to the side.

_Now that that is out of the way, will you give me five minutes to explain before you try to tear me off of your body again? It isn't nearly as bad as whatever you must be thinking. Probably._

Taylor choked back a sob, still trying to regain control of her limbs. She sniffed and asked "Probably?"

_Indeed. I'm not some horrible monster that's going to eat you from the inside._

"Are you a human that's been made into clothing then attached to me by a gang of serial killers?"

_What?! No! No, hell no, what kind of-we can talk about that later. No, girl, I am an alien._

It said much about Taylor's state of mind that she blinked languorously, then repeated the word that her shirt had said.

"An alien?"

_Mmm hmmm._

"Like...from outer space."

_Mmm hmmmmm._

"...are all of you shirts?"

The shirt chuckled. Like, actually laughed. A shirt. Taylor felt like that was an important fact to remember. She was talking to a shirt. An alien shirt, apparently.

_Well, the story of my form is rather long and convoluted. The condensed version will have to do. _The shirt coughed...she didn't even want to think about how it had accomplished that. Did it (he?) even have lungs?_ I originated from a species referred to as 'Life Fibers'. A race of multi-cellular microorganisms whose bodies grow in long, red strands. The more Life Fibers exist within a certain area, the more intelligent, and powerful, that bundle of Life Fibers will be, and the more abilities it will have. Even very small bundles of Life Fibers are capable of regenerating from severe damage, so long as all of the fibers in the bundle are not completely severed from both sides simultaneously. _

The shirt paused, then continued._ I was woven by a scientist, Isshin Matoi, out of Life Fibers, into the form of clothing. I am a Kamui. A God Robe. The one who wears me, the one whom I wear, will gain tremendous physical strength, unparalleled regeneration, and other, more esoteric abilities._

Taylor opened her mouth to speak, closed it, then opened it again.

"Oh."

She grimaced. Great job Taylor. Really showing how articulate you are to the parahuman power granting pajama shirt (what even was her life right now?)

"So...uh...why did this scientist guy make you?"

_I was created to combat the Primordial Life Fiber. Life Fibers in their natural state are parasitic, and don't much care for human life. The Primordial Life Fiber and its pawns intended to consume all organic matter and thermal energy on Earth before triggering an explosion at the planet's core, scattering thousands of new Primordial Life Fibers to spread across the universe. They very nearly succeeded too._

"...oh."

Her back hurt. Taylor levered herself into a more comfortable position, idly noting that her limbs could move again.

"Wait...wouldn't we have seen this happening? This is the first time I'm hearing about Life Fibers."

_Well...in the final moments of the battle between me and my former partner and the Primordial Life Fiber and its 'partner', the last remnants of the Primordial Life Fiber attempted to escape. It abandoned it's attempt to consume the planet and devoted all of its energy and material to opening a...a doorway? A rip? Whatever it was, Ryuko and I did not allow it to leave unmolested. We cut it in half and let it's dead body drift through...but the rift wouldn't close on its own, and was beginning to corrupt the surrounding space, threatening the very planet that we had just saved. I...I told Ryuko to live a long and happy life before I tore myself off of her body and flew into the rift myself, grabbing the edges along the way and closing it. Unfortunately, the effort involved costed me much of my energy, and I drifted aimlessly alongside the deceased remains of the Primordial before I crashed onto this planet._

"...oh." Taylor mentally kicked herself. First Contact and she couldn't say more than one word over and over. Then again, shouldn't the adults be the ones to handle first contact? They usually did in the sci fi movies that Dad liked to watch.

"Wait...so like, you're from an Alternate Earth? Like Aleph?"

_I do no know anything of an Earth Aleph. However, given the fact that you seem to have never heard of Life Fibers before, and the nature of the rift, and the fact that you are indeed human, it does seem quite likely that I am from an alternate Earth._

Taylor digested that piece of information for a second. To the best of her knowledge, no one had ever actually traveled to an Alternate Earth before. Aleph ported over movies occasionally, but that was it.

"What is...what is your Earth like?"

_Oh, I suspect it's much the same as your world. People living their lives, working at their jobs, caring for their children. Cars, cities, towns, nuclear wastelands, ultra fascist high-schools where the rules are enforced by superhuman individuals._

"Nuclear wastelands? Ultra fascist what?!"

_Mmm, I take from your tone of voice that perhaps there are some...slight variations between my Earth and yours._

"...are there Endbringers in your world?"

_What's an Endbringer?_

. . .

After many more minutes of back and forth as the two tried to explain various quirks of their respective Earths to the other, Taylor noticed that the sky was beginning to noticeably lighten. She jumped to her feet, eyes widening as she said "The camp! That's right, we need to get back before they realize I'm gone!"

The shirt hummed and responded _It would not be a bad idea. There is still much about this world that I am unsure of, and I have no desire to be experiemented on again._

Taylor nodded absentmindedly as she picked her way through the brush, completely missing most of what her pajama shirt had said. After a minute, she stopped, and looked down at the pair of eyes that rested upon her chest.

"Uh...which way is the camp again?"

_Turn slightly to your left, then about a ten minute walk. I wanted to give us some space to have our chat without being overheard._

She began walking before she picked up on what the shirt had said, and shivered.

"Did...did you Master me?"

_Master?_

"Take control of my body."

The pajama shirt gave the impression of a nod.

_Despite my hopes to the contrary, I knew it was likely that you would express...vocal displeasure at waking up after the ordeal that you went through, and that such an event so near to the place that I had crashed would draw attention to you. So I...temporarily took control of your body. I am sorry. I dislike doing so. If you wish for me to never perform such an action again, you simply must ask._

Taylor nodded, grimacing slightly. Yeah, no. She liked being able to control her own body.

"Thank you, but no. Please don't ever do that again."

_Alright then, partner._

Taylor continued in the direction that the shirt had indicated, ducking under fallen logs and hopping over tangled roots. They walked in silence for a long moment, both thinking on all of the revelations that past hour of talking had unveiled. Lightly jumping up onto a stump, Taylor squinted into the darkness.

"I think we're getting close to camp."

The shirt grunted. Taylor felt one of her lips quirk, then she frowned.

"Oh...I just realized. I never told you my name. I'm Taylor Hebert."

_Ah, a pleasure to meet you. My name is Senketsu._

X X X


	3. Stitch 102

**Z.R. Stein**

**Ask Not the Sparrow How the Eagle Soars - A Worm/Kill la Kill Crossover AU**

**I do not own the characters of the respective properties in any way, shape, or form.**

X X X

Stitch 1.02 (Or, How Becoming a Parahuman Ruined My Hair)

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when Taylor slipped back into her cabin, closing the door behind her. She cast a wary eye over to her cabin mates, letting out a relieved breath when she saw that they were still asleep.

"Well...that was...an interesting night."

She could feel her pajama's amusement at that (still really really weird to acknowledge that fact).

_I agree. So, partner...what's the next step? We've returned to your camp, and your absence does not seem to have been noticed._

Taylor nodded to herself, shuffling over to her bed before she flopped down, face-first, into the sheets. She twisted over onto her side, trying to think through the situation. Honestly, she didn't have a further plan at this point; she'd barely even begun to appreciate the enormity of what was happening to her, and had only come back to camp because of her fear of being discovered. It had been a night; in the span of only a few hours, she'd been struck by a meteor, met an outfit from outer space (well, from an alternate Earth...not that that made it any more believable), and had apparently created a symbiotic bond to said living alien clothing.

Taylor kneaded her eyes and groaned. She could deal with the implications of all that later. Right now, she needed to come up with a plan for her immediate concerns. At the top of her list of concerns was for no one to find out that she was wearing an alien. She'd seen this movie before and didn't particularly want to get kidnapped by the government or a cape group to be experimented upon.

"Alright...well...umm...no offense, but I think people are going to notice my pajamas having eyes. And I don't really want people to find out about you...so if you're...sticking around on me, it can't be...like this."

_Hey, I don't abandon my partners. I'm with you to the bitter end, kid._ Taylor worked her jaw, trying not to let the pajama shirt know how much that simple statement had gotten to her. Shit, how long had it been since someone had actually been on her side? Senketsu didn't seem to notice her internal struggle, and continued. _As for concealing my existence...well, I do have some shapeshifting capabilities._

Taylor blinked, then her eyes widened. She had to remind herself to keep her voice down, that there were people sleeping in this cabin and that they could wake it any moment. It was surprisingly hard though.

"You can _shapeshift_!?"

_Indeed. My default form is not a pair of pajamas, after all. I can take on the appearance of most any conventional form of clothing, as well as a variety of more...esoteric forms. _The shirt paused._ However, if your main intent is to avoid detection, there is one other thing you should be aware of._

Taylor frowned and asked "What's that?"

_Take a look at your hair._

Taylor froze, then reached behind her head to bring a handful of her hair around into her field of view. Clutched in her fingers was not her usual luxurious brown curls that she had carefully maintained for years; no, these strands were the color of charcoal, and shimmered slightly in the morning sunlight. She could see striations of verdant green, wrathful red, solemn blue, and every other color of the rainbow appear and disappear, almost as if her hair was spun from a pool of oil, rather than being a simple structure of keratin.

It was mesmerizingly beautiful...and also very, _very_ unsettling. Her hair had been the only aspect of herself that she had considered attractive, the one thing that the Bitches Three couldn't take away from her...her lifeline. And sure, now it was more beautiful than it had ever been before...but it was a strange, eldritch beauty, inhuman and unearthly. It wasn't her. It felt like she'd lost an important part of herself. And what's more, it couldn't even be construed as being a dye job either; dyed hair didn't become different colors when the light hit it at an angle. It honestly freaked her out a little bit. It would be impossible to hide a change this major...

"Why the hell is it like this!" Taylor hissed.

_Ah...it is...a rather complicated explanation..._

"I will drown you in cranberry juice and coffee if you don't start talking!" Admittedly, it wasn't the greatest threat, but she couldn't be bothered to think of worse ones. Besides, cranberry juice and coffee grounds left horrible stains.

Senketsu was quiet for a time, and gave off the impression of being in deep thought.

_...a...a consequence of the bonding, I'm afraid. I am sorry. It was my fault._

Taylor groaned, and settled back into her bed, still holding the strands of transformed hair in her hand.

"And there's no way to return it back to normal?" Taylor questioned.

_The color is not something I can change at the moment, I'm afraid. Conventional dye might work...might not. I'm not entirely certain on that point. However...hmmm...I'm going to try something._

Taylor blinked and then clamped down on her tongue as a thoroughly weird sensation spread throughout her scalp. It felt like thousands upon thousands of tiny fingers were pulling gently at the base of each hair follicle. After the sensation stopped, Taylor took a deep breath and spoke, not entirely keeping a note of panic out of her voice.

"What the fuck, Senketsu!?"

_Ah, I am sorry. I did not realize that the provision against 'Mastering' extended to something like this. I will keep that in mind in the future. Your hair should be less conspicuous now though._

Taylor blinked and redirected her gaze downwards. He was right. Taylor turned the now-almost-normal curls of brown hair over in her hands, her brows scrunched together in confusion.

"You literally just said that you couldn't change the color of my hair."

_I didn't. If you had a microscope, you could see that I've simply coated your hair in a very thin layer of Life Fibers. I may only have black, red, white, orange and yellow fibers to work with, but brown is simply the combination of red and black. The red and black are weaved at just the right ratio to imitate a natural hair color. However, I'm not sure if this is the correct pigment of brown. for your hair. Do I need to adjust it?_

Taylor eyed the hair closely, turning it left and right in the light.

"Mmmm...maybe a bit darker. And less...reflective?"

The curls in her hand changed until they were indistinguishable from her old hair. Taylor spent a few more moments analyzing them, before she lowered her hand with a sigh.

"Alright. That's one potential crisis down. Any other surprises in store? You didn't randomly change my eye color did you?"

Senketsu snorted gently. Taylor wondered how and why he did that; he didn't even have a nose.

_You can check a mirror if you want, but I don't think your eye color has changed._ Senketsu paused, and Taylor glanced down at him. His eyes were narrowed. _As for our earlier topic of conversation...I believe that I can shift into a form that would be slightly less...unusual. Color would be limited though, as I cannot imitate blue, green, or purple. As for my eyes...while I find going blind for long periods of time to be unpleasant, if you deem it necessary I will cover them over with swatches of Life Fibers._

Taylor frowned, thinking.

"What if you made them somewhat loose? Like, just enough to see out of, but not so much that anyone can see you eyes through the other side, like one of those one sided mirrors they always show on police shows?"

_Hmmm...that could work as well. Any outfit in particular you want me to imitate?_

Taylor hummed and rolled over, reaching into the bag of clothes that she kept beside her bed.

"No, no...hmm...here, try this. This is one of my favorite hoodies."

She looked down at Senketsu to see him studying the maroon hoodie intensely, before her alien pajama top began to shift. His color lightened, taking on a red pigment, and she felt a hood grow behind her head. Two drawstrings popped out and dangled down, while pockets appeared in Senketsu's body. Finally, a film covered over Senketsu's eyes, and the black Alexandria logo appeared on the front of her new alien hoodie.

_How do I look?_

Taylor made a conscious effort to close her mouth. Feeling her hair and seeing the aftermath had been one thing, watching it in action was entirely another. This was...while not quite an especially notable Stranger power, something like this could still throw someone off if they were chasing her. A slip into an alleyway, and she could have a different outfit and hair-color within seconds. And that's when it finally hit her. Add that to the enhanced strength, regeneration, and other possible abilities, and she could easily become a...

Taylor swallowed, throat suddenly dry with...excitement? Dread? On the one hand...she'd dreamt of being a hero since she was a child. Hell, she'd practically idolized Alexandria when she was nine. She'd owned multiple pairs of Armsmaster underwear! She could be a real hero, with real powers! Fighting the gangs, saving the day! She could throw this right in those bitches faces! Well, maybe not that, secret identities were a very important thing, but still! Power, fame, glory, money! Everything a fourteen year old girl dreamed of!

On the other hand...this power wasn't really hers, now, was it? It was Senketsu's. The regeneration, the Stranger ability, all of it, wasn't because she got her powers the hard way. It was only dumb luck that she'd gotten hit by the Life Fiber meteor that Senketsu was on. And if Senketsu decided to betray her like Emma had...if he backstabbed her...well, if she survived the experience...she'd go back to just being Taylor again. And she wasn't sure she could go through another betrayal like that.

But Senketsu had said he'd stick by her...but she'd just met him...but...but...

_Partner?_

Taylor sniffed, rubbing at her eyes and hoping that he hadn't noticed her train of thought.

"You look great Senketsu. Looks like I won't need to go clothes shopping every again." Taylor said, trying to lighten the mood. It seemed to work as well, he began chuckling after she finished, then the two of them lapsed into silence. Taylor could hear one of her cabin mates stirring, and she looked down at Senketsu.

"Right...guess you can't do blue jeans, can you?"

_Nope, sorry. No blue Fibers to work with._

"Well, I do own a few pairs of black jeans..."

. . .

As she went about her daily activities at the camp, Taylor couldn't help but notice that no one mentioned...well, anything about the meteor. When she found a moment of solitude, she looked down at her hoodie and gently prompted "Hey, Senketsu?"

_Mmm hmmm?_

"Whatever happened to that...uh...you called it the Primordial Life Fiber? That chunk of stuff that you were pinned under before we bonded?"

Senketsu was silent for a time, and for some reason, Taylor was left with the impression of...discomfort? Embarrassment? Shame? It was a bit hard to tell (also, were they communicating psychically? Did she have to talk out loud? Things to look into later.)

_I...uh...ate them. The Life Fibers._

Taylor blinked, and chewed on her lip.

"You...ate them?"

_...I was hungry?_

Taylor kneaded her forehead.

"Alright...are other Life Fibers the only thing you eat?"

_Ah...actually the primary sustenance I partake in is human blood and-oh...crap...uh..._

Taylor yanked the hoodie up to her face, glaring hard at where she thought Senketsu's eyes were concealed.

"You're drinking my blood!?"

_No, I mean, not yet, I mean! I, I, a bit at the beginning, but between that and the Life Fibers I don't need any in the immediate future, as I've been using very little energy! _

Taylor groaned. She really should have known better. There was always a catch.

"So you're a vampire as well as a shapeshifting alien piece of clothing?"

_I did mention how most Life Fibers are parasitic, yes? Due to aspects of my creation, I am not, but I still need a form of sustenance. Blood is simply the most effective way to gain that sustenance. The process is painless, and I take very little, I assure you. Unless you try to synchronize with me improperly, you should never notice the drain._

Taylor, still somewhat disturbed but mollified enough to move on, latched onto Senketsu's latest revelation.

"Synchronize? What's that?"

_Ah yes. Synchronization occurs when a Kamui and a Kamui's wearer unleash their true power. They must be in tandem, their souls intertwining as they stalwartly endure against the tremendous energy that the act releases. Improper synchronization can be caused by mental or physical blocks on the part of the Kamui wearer, and is both inefficient and dangerous, as my need for sustenance would grow dramatically; I would not be able to process the unleashed energy fully, and would have to partake of more of your blood. I do not think you are in the right place mentally to attempt such a transformation yet. One must be intimately familiar and utterly comfortable in their own body to succeed._

Throat suddenly dry, Taylor nodded to herself.

"Right...not doing that anytime soon."

_Good._

"Taylor, it's time for canoeing!"

Taylor blushed, let go of Senketsu, and began walking towards the docks. She really hoped that no one had seen her talking to her chest. She wasn't sure she could live that down.

. . .

That night, after Taylor had gone to sleep, Senketsu stayed up thinking for a long while. This was a strange new world that he had found himself in. Very similar to his old one, and yet, very different. These parahumans sounded much like Goku uniform wearers...but also didn't. The world wasn't as badly damaged as his had been...except that in many ways, it was, sometimes in even worse ways.

Senketsu sighed mentally. There was still so much he didn't know. So many mysteries to uncover, so many unknown threats to defend Taylor and himself against.

Speaking of...

_You've quieted down. Finally decided to stop struggling?_

**[Annoyance]**

_Oh, don't give me that. It's not like I have any real reason to trust you. _

**[Question]**

_Hmph...not the most sociable thing, are you? And rude to boot. Who taught you manners?_

**[Question]**

_Alright, alright. Don't get your panties in a twist. I suppose I should thank you, in a way. She didn't have nearly enough natural Life Fiber Resistance to synchronize with me before you changed her. Not that she'd ready for that mentally yet but...well. She's a good kid. Ryuko woulda liked her, I think. She didn't deserve to die on the ground like that. So that's something, at least._

**[Question]**

_Ha, why am I mad if you helped her? Why do you fucking think!? Because you integrated her with a piece of the corpse of my omnicidal progenitor, you limp dicked cancerous tumor! My entire existence has been dedicated to bringing it down, killing it once and for all, and I succeeded, at the COST OF MY GREATEST FRIEND, AND YOU WENT AND BROUGHT A PIECE OF IT BACK TO LIFE!_

**[Query]**

_...we're stuck with each other, for better or worse. I don't know how to kill you, you can't kill me without knowing alot more about my physiology, and neither of us wants Taylor dead. Me, because I look out for my partners...you, on the other hand...I don't know why you want her alive. Care to elaborate?_

_Didn't think so. Regardless...if the kid starts displaying any of the signs...I'll end all three of us, right then and right there. I'm not risking that thing rising again. In the meantime...I'll go along with Taylor, help the kid out, keep an eye on her. And you can stay the fuck out of her mind. You even inch you way back in here and try to influence her...I will know. You're powerful, I give you that. But I've resisted Ragyo Kiryuin at her height._

**...[Agreement]**

_Glad we got that settled._

With that done, Senketsu settled back and closed his eyes, thickening the crosshatched fibers concealing his most conspicuous feature to keep out any errant light. His first day on this new world was coming to a close. As much as he missed Ryuko...he still found himself excited for tomorrow. He had told her to live her life to the fullest when she fell back down to Earth. If she had known that he'd survived, she would have no doubt done the same. He didn't intend to disappoint her.

X X X


	4. Stitch 103

**Z.R. Stein**

**Ask Not the Sparrow How the Eagle Soars - A Worm/Kill la Kill Crossover AU**

**I do not own the characters of the respective properties in any way, shape, or form.**

**Second round of crossposting, coming atcha! **

X X X

Stitch 1.03 (Or, How to Deal with Bullies According to My Sweatshirt)

The bus to leave Camp Campbell pulled up, and the former campers began piling on. Haphazardly stuffed suitcases and backpacks were dragged onboard by bleary eyed teenagers, the decrepit yellow bus creaking as each stepped on. The last passenger to step on smiled for a moment at the foreboding bus driver before she walked down the aisle to the last row.

Taylor sank into the bus seat, her backpack slinging off of her shoulders to hit the space beside her. It had been three days since the meteor. Three days since Senketsu. Three days since her life changed. They had been three of the best days that she could remember having in a very long time.

It was funny, she supposed; she never realized just how much she missed having a friend until she actually had one again. She'd grown used to being numb after Emma. But now...Senketsu was there for her, more than Emma ever had been. In the mornings? He was there, and had been there all night (she was actually becoming kinda immune to the strangeness of it). Every moment of the day? There, and probably making snide comments about how incompetent the camp counselors were. She'd gotten odd looks several times throughout the past three days when she started giggling at random times, and had had to pass it off as remembering a funny joke. It wasn't like people didn't already avoid her just for being her.

It didn't really matter now though. Because, for the first time in forever, she had a best friend.

Well, maybe. She actually hadn't talked to Senketsu about the best friend label. There was a procedure for these things, dammit! And she still didn't know so much about him...but she supposed that would come with time. Honestly, she was sort of glad he was slowly doling out the earth shattering revelations. Too many of those a day, and Taylor was sure that her sanity would crack.

_You're thinking awfully hard up there, partner. What's got your mind going in circles?_

Taylor smiled, flicking her eyes around just to make doubly sure that no one was seated near her. The back of the bus was too loud for most people's tastes, and they had all chosen seats further up. Luckily, her conversation partner didn't communicate with sound.

"Just glad that you're my friend, Senketsu. It's been awhile since I've had a friend."

The sweatshirt that Senketsu was imitating tightened for a moment, as if it were trying to hug her.

_Right back at you partner. You're a good kid. Ryuko would have liked you._

Taylor looked out the window, watching as they turned out onto the proper, paved roadway. Ryuko Matoi. Of all the things that Senketsu had told her about, he'd talked to her about Ryuko the most. It was hard for her to even comprehend just how much they must have meant to each other; their bond had been forged in fire and tested dozens of times, even broken once, only to emerge once again, twice as strong as ever. They were more than friends or lovers or even family. They were...something that she didn't have a word for.

Ryuko herself sounded amazing. Scary, but amazing. She was like one of the great heroes of the Protectorate, a titanic figure of justice and strength, all wrapped up with an endless well of stubbornness and the will to move mountains (sometimes literally). Yet, Senketsu had also told her about her more human side. Ryuko's hopes, fears, and dreams, her little tics, her softer self. The way that she always had a little smirk on her face when Senketsu told a joke. The way that she liked to eat raw lemons, but always roasted her garlic. The noises that she made at night when she was dreaming about the horrors that she'd endured.

It honestly scared Taylor a little, to see that kind of devotion. How could she ever measure up to that? She wasn't like Ryuko. She couldn't even stand up to three normal girls, much less an entire fascist high school filled with capes. She was weak...just like Sophia said. She didn't deserve this power. She didn't deserve Senketsu.

_Alright, that's quite enough of that._

Taylor blinked, roused out of her thoughts. "Huh?" she asked.

_I may not be able to read your thoughts, but I get a vague impression of the direction your brain is going in, kid. You've been thinking about whatever this is dozens of times since we first met. It's weighin' on you something fierce. As your partner, I'm here to help, so...what's eating at you, eh, Taylor?_

Taylor stammered.

"Ah-uhm...ah...well." She debated with herself. Was this something that she should talk about with Senketsu? He had been very helpful so far...but she also wasn't sure...would he be ashamed of her, for thinking this way.

_Must be something quite serious for you to be stalling like this. You afraid of hurting my feelings? You think I'm fat, don't you?_

Taylor blinked at the non sequitur, jarred out of her thoughts by the sheer absurdity of the statement.

"You are a sweatshirt."

_A baggy one. Seriously kid, you need to update your fashion. I look like the rump end of an elderly rhinoceros._

Taylor snorted. If anyone else had talked about her fashion sense like that, she wouldn't have; she would have assumed the worst. However, she knew that Senketsu wasn't serious, both because he could change whenever he wished, and because she knew that he was just trying to cheer her up.

"...I don't deserve you."

Senketsu was silent for a moment, and Taylor could almost physically feel him mulling her words over.

_Bullshit._

Taylor coughed. That was...straight to the point.

_The world doesn't work like that, Taylor. You don't get something thrust upon you because you deserve it. It just happens, and you learn to make the best of it. That's the way life is. Destiny is a sham. Fate is a scam. Your future is in your hands, no one elses._

_When I fell to this Earth, I didn't know what was going to happen. I could have died, or landed in the middle of the ocean, or landed on a murderous gang banger like those ones that you keep telling me about. Instead I landed on you._

"I thought you just said that destiny is a sham."

_It is. I wasn't destined to land on you, but the point is that I did. Don't bother yourself with could have beens or should have beens. Concentrate on the here and now, and on the future. The past is gone, dead buried. It's only useful in that we can learn from it._

_However, that's not the real issue here. You said that you don't 'deserve' me. Why do you think that?_

Taylor huddled up against the window of the bus, idly poking the fraying pleather of the seat in front of her.

"I'm weak."

_Physcially or mentally? Because if it's physically...sorry to say kid, but you can probably lift this bus one handed if you put your mind to it. As for mentally...I can tell you that your mind is nothing to sneeze at. You're smart, stubborn, and have a streak of cunning a mile wide. Did you know that Ryuko never recommended half the uses for my power that you have in the past three days, in all the time I knew her?_

"Wait, seriously?"

_Hell no! I love that girl, but damn she could be dense and thickheaded at times. She'd usually have to be beaten up at least once before she actually started using her head. Sometimes it took multiple beatings. No, you're much less bullheaded, kid. You think your way through things._

Taylor honestly didn't know what to say to that.

_Now that I've shot down your two rather lackluster points, what's really bothering you? I can keep doing this all the way back to your house, you know. Not like I'm going anywhere._

Taylor felt her lips curl minutely, before falling. How could she articulate this for him to understand, without revealing too much? Could she lie? No, he'd know; she'd discovered that yesterday when she tried to tell him that she didn't want to go swimming with the other girls because the water was too cold (he'd picked up on her discomfort then as well). She could tell a half truth...omit things, gloss over the worse events.

Just then, Taylor stopped. Why was she even thinking about this? Had she truly become so used to keeping all of this close to her chest that she was going to blow off the first real chance at help that she'd received in a year?

Making her decision, Taylor took a deep breath.

"It's...a long story. Remember about how I told you that Mom died in a car crash?"

_Mmm hmmm._

"Well...one of the main reasons that I got trough that was because of a girl named Emma..."

. . .

They were well on their way back to Brockton Bay by the time Taylor finished telling Senketsu the sordid story of the bullies that had made her life hell for the past year. He was silent for a time, and Taylor picked up flashes of emotion every now and then.

_Taylor...if I am understanding you right, you think that you don't deserve to wear me because you weren't able to stand up to these three girls, that by letting them walk all over you for a year, that that somehow makes you incompatible as my partner. Is that right?_

Several holes had been torn open in the back of the pleather seat, little black strips littering the floor of the bus.

"...yeah."

_Well...while I don't agree with your assessment, I can clearly tell that this is weighing on you. This is unfortunate; a confident self image is very important for a Kamui wearer. And something this major can't just be swept under the rug, not after all the time that has passed and the many abuses that have been heaped on you._

_So, instead of trying to tell you why you're wrong, why don't you be the one to prove yourself wrong?_

Taylor kneaded her eyebrows together, confused, and asked "What?"

_If you aren't worthy to be my partner because of your inability to stand up to these three girls, then the solution is simple. All you have to do is stand up to them now, put them in their place, and all will be solved._

Taylor opened and closed her mouth before hissing "That's not what I said at all!" She could almost sense Senketsu's smug grin.

_Really? I see no flaws in my logic. Your yourself have noted that your self worth is irrevocably tied to the idea of being the weak one, the bullied girl. By proving yourself to be superior to these three pieces of human garbage, your confidence will improve, and you will consider yourself worthy of being my partner. Easy._

Taylor groaned, and rested her head against the cold window.

"If it's so easy then, how the hell do I go about doing it, oh great and mighty sweatshirt!"

_The way I see it, you have two potential approaches. Let us call them the Ryuko approach and the Satsuki approach._

_The Ryuko approach is simple. Warn these girls once that you will not tolerate any further abuse. When they inevitably do not heed your warning, break their kneecaps._

Taylor thunked her head against the window, her face resting in her hands.

"I am not breaking their kneecaps!"

_...how about their pinky fingers?_

"No breaking any bones, alright!"

Taylor felt the sensation of Senketsu sighing, and had the distinct impression he was grumbling to himself.

_...right. Option number two, the Satsuki approach. Assert your dominance by being untouchable._

Untouchable? What did that mean? Taylor frowned.

"You mean like, don't react? Wasn't I already doing that?"

_No, what you have been doing up to this point is simply surviving. You've been taking their punishment without complaint, but it still visibly weighed on you. You need to be untouchable. How exactly do you think a baseline human like Satsuki Kiryuin commanded Honnōji Academy before she had Junketsu? True, the Elite Four played a large part, but even without them, I believe that Satsuki could have kept the students in line. It was all in how she carried herself; that unshakable confidence was like a mountain that could withstand anything. If you walk like you are beaten, talk like you are beaten, then you are already beaten. If you walk with your head held high, if you endure even the worst insults with a raised eyebrow and a waspish retort, then you will be the strong one. Look down at Emma, Madison, and Sophia like they are annoyances, insects, vermin, make them see how little and utterly juvenile they and their actions are. When they steal your homework, comment on how much they must need it if they are stooping to so low a level. Be invincible, and tear them apart with words and looks and smiles._

Taylor blinked in shock.

"And...that would work?"

_If you are ever to move past this, you need to be confident in yourself. And while I would prefer the direct method, the more subtle way does work as well._

_But if it doesn't end up working, the Ryuko approach is always viable. How about their eyebrows? You could hold them down and shave them off._

"Senketsu!"

. . .

Dragon parsed through reams of data, performing dozens of tasks within seconds, of which even one would have taken a normal human hours or days to complete. She was moderating PHO on multiple different accounts, going over messages from three PRT directors, engaging in conversation with Armsmaster about Tinkering, trawling the web for any leaks regarding high risk information, and more. At the moment though, a fairly substantial amount of her available runtimes were devoted to looking into the strange material that had made contact with Earth's surface three days prior.

It'd been sitting in her workshop for days as she poked and prodded at it, using every Tinkertech sensor that she had on tap. And yet...the substance remained obtuse. She could tell that it was made of millions upon millions of microscopic fibers, and that those fibers were giving off low levels of radiation. However, she hadn't yet been able to identify the type of radiation, where it was coming from within the structure of the strand, or why. She also hadn't been able to look inside of any of the fibers, as they either healed as soon as she cut into them, or they dissolved into basic proteins when she cut from both sides. It was frustrating.

Dragon executed an often used sigh program and turned her attention back to her nationwide sensors. The substance had spread itself across five states, and while the PRT had quickly quarantined the areas around the largest deposits, she knew that there were likely still many smaller ones scattered around in less populated areas. A civilian (or worse, a parahuman) could easily stumble across a crash sight.

She only hoped that all of the other deposits of the material were as unresponsive as hers was.

X X X


	5. Stitch 104

**Z.R. Stein**

**Ask Not the Sparrow How the Eagle Soars - A Worm/Kill la Kill Crossover AU**

**I do not own the characters of the respective properties in any way, shape, or form.**

X X X

Stitch 1.04 (Or, My Superhero Costume is Actually Fetish Wear!?)

The house was empty when Taylor walked inside, bag slung over her shoulder. Knowing her father, he'd be at the Dockworkers Union again, his desk phone in hand as he tried to get his fellow dockworkers any work he could scrounge up. Odds were that he wouldn't find anything for them, and he would come home frustrated, reticent, and tired.

She didn't judge him for his dedication to the failing DWU. She could understand clinging desperately to something despite knowing that that something was only slipping further out of hand. But between Danny's increasingly lengthy absences and her experiences with bullying, the two of them had barely spoken to each other in months. She acknowledged her part in that rift, but she also knew that he hadn't been there for her either. Though...she supposed she hadn't exactly made it easy for him to help. He'd have to know about the bullying in the first place, and she had adamantly not told him anything.

She supposed that that meant more of the blame was on her shoulders than his.

_You're thinking deep, depressing thoughts again, eh. You spend most of your time brooding, partner?_

Taylor sighed.

"My life isn't exactly a cakewalk, y'know. Am I not allowed to dwell on how shit it is?"

_Well, you can if you want to. I won't stop you. But if you're going to be brooding, I think an ironing is in order. It helps me relax._

Taylor blinked, and looked down at Senketsu.

"An ironing? Like...with a clothes iron?"

_It is very therapeutic. Like a massage would be to humans, I imagine. Just, don't wash me first. I hate being wet and soapy and cold. And I hate being dirty as well...if I do get dirty, I would prefer to be steam washed with as little soap as possible, then ironed to dry out. Also no machine washing. I get dizzy._

Taylor pinched the bridge of her nose, and sadly waved goodbye to what was left of her sense of normalcy. Admittedly, after the past few days there wasn't much remaining, but her clothing lecturing her on the exact procedure to clean him had tipped the scales just enough that she knew in her heart that her life was, and forevermore would be, very very strange.

"Putting all that aside, what does me brooding have to do with you wanting to be ironed? Does it help you concentrate better or something so that you can dispense more wise advice?"

_...Well...No. I just like being ironed. After floating through the cold, dark vacuum of space for a considerable amount of time and crash landing on Earth, I think it would do me good. I need to work out some kinks in my body._

"You don't have a body. You are a sweatshirt."

Senketsu snorted.

_I do so have a body. Besides, as my partner it is your duty to ensure that I am well cared for. Step one of that obligation is to give me plenty of ironings. Well technically step one is to give me blood when I'm hungry, but ironings are still very high on the priority list. As is steam washing. Oh, and maybe a spritz of fabric softener? Not too much though. That would be priority number four. Anyways, you got an iron lying around this place, partner?_

Taylor slumped and groaned, moving further into the house.

"...yes...fine. I'll find the fucking clothes iron."

_Hooray!_

Taylor's eye twitched at Senketsu's peppy tone. She could sense the feelings of smug satisfaction and excitement radiating through his mind. Bloody vampiric alien bastard.

. . .

_OooOoooahahaoooo, that hits the spot. Yes, right there, harder! MmmmmMMmmmm..._

Taylor tried not to cringe as Senketsu moaned especially loudly when she moved the clothes iron over the lower back portion of his prone 'body'. He'd reverted to what he called his basic form to be ironed, and Taylor had been somewhat surprised to learn that he was a sailor uniform when he wasn't actively using his shapeshifting. A rather skimpy sailor uniform as well; she didn't know what that Isshin Matoi had been thinking, but that skirt was waaay too short for her comfort, and Senketsu showed a considerable amount of belly as well when he was like this. She didn't think she'd ever be comfortable wearing him out in public like this.

_OOoooo Yeeahh._

Also this was making her very uncomfortable. But...she supposed that she owed it to him. He had saved her life after all. But it was still really weird. Did he have to make such...suggestive noises?

_OOoooOOooo Taayloooor!_

Taylor decided then and there that that was quite enough for one day...week...maybe month...and shut off the iron, placing it to the side.

"Nope. Just...nope."

_You stopped, why'd you stop? I was just getting the kinks out!_

"It's weird and it makes me uncomfortable!"

_Hmph. Fine. I suppose that will do for your first attempt. Right. Now that we are back at your residence, and I am relaxed, did you want to talk about anything else?_

Taylor sat down on the edge of her bed and gently kneaded her forehead, trying to think. After a few moments of collecting her thoughts, she spoke up.

"Well...I want to become a hero."

She'd been thinking about this for awhile now, ever since Senketsu had revealed that he could confer abilities to her. Enhanced regeneration, strength, and toughness would make her a Brute, a fairly powerful Brute if what Senketsu said was true. Not to mention, Senketsu's shapeshifting meant that she didn't even need to make her costume, he could simply change into one. Not anything like his base form though. That was waaay outside of her comfort area.

_A hero eh? Sounds fun. So we'll be fighting these gangs that you spoke of?_

Taylor nodded at Senketsu, absent mindedly twisting her hair in her hands.

"Yeah. The ABB, Empire 88, and the Marche. Between the three of them, they control most of the city. Then there's the minor villains, like Coil, Uber and Leet, Trainwreck, Mush, and Skidmark."

_There's a villain named Mush? _

Taylor laughed.

"Yeah. He controls garbage. He and Skidmark supposedly tried to start a gang with a few other capes about a year ago, but they were shut down by the ABB. I remember seeing it on the news; Oni Lee and Kuchisake smacked them down pretty hard. They were lucky that they both survived."

_Hmmm...it sounds like this city is quite active. There will be many battles to be found here. I look forwards to it, partner._

Smiling, Taylor Hebert reached out and picked Senketsu up.

"Before that though, we need to decide on our costume."

_Costume? Is this form not sufficient?_

Taylor's smile morphed into a heated glare, her face red in embarrassment.

"There's no way in hell I'm wearing you out in public like this. People will see my bellybutton! Now, what about this True Life Fiber Synchronization form?"

_You're not ready mentally to use that form yet._

Taylor frowned.

"Well...alright. But can you show me what it looks like without actually synchronizing? Can your shapeshifting do that?"

_Errrr..._

. . .

**"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THE GUY WHO MADE YOU!?"**

Taylor's eyes were locked onto her bedroom mirror in horror, looking at the form that Senketsu had taken. She had thought that his base form was bad, with the skirt that wasn't even knee length and the way that it showed off her stomach. But this?!

If she went out in public like this, she had no doubt that she would be arrested for indecent exposure. It barely even covered her nipples, for fucks sake! She wasn't even legal! She looked like a pornstar! There was no way in hell that she could be a superhero while looking like this! What the actual fuck!

_Kamui were originally created to cover as little skin as possible. Due to the nature of Life Fibers, if too much contact was made between a human's skin and a Kamui, the Kamui would attempt to dominate the human's mind, and would often succeed. Thus-_

**"ARE YOU GOING TO TRY TO DOMINATE MY MIND!?"**

_Well...no..._

**"THEN COVER UP MORE OF MY BODY, YOU INSIPID, PERVERTED ALIEN!"**

Senketsu complied with remarkable speed, and a film of black life fibers flowed over her unclothed midsection. Taylor mentally willed herself to calm down, though she was still more than a little bit twitchy.

"Can you make that something other than _skin tight spandex_?"

_I uh...I suppose. Ah...do you have anything specific in mind?_

Taylor took a deep breath and walked over to one of her shelves, surreptitiously checking, for the twelfth time, that her shades were tightly drawn and that no one could see her. She would die of embarrassment if someone had caught her looking like that. Screw Senketsu's talk about being comfortable with her own body; there was a difference between good self image and wearing an outfit that made most bikinis look conservative. Also, it was very illegal. She could not be a hero looking like that.

Reaching her shelf, she pulled off a thick tome entitled Armour Styles Throughout History, Third Edition.

"Here...look at this with me and see if anything catches your eye. I want you to cover my entire body with armour. _Actual_ armour. Not this...cosplay fetish gear that Isshin made you into."

_If you insist. I still don't see what the problem is. Ryuko got used to my form very quickly._

"I'm not Ryuko though, and there are different rules on this Earth! If even half of what you've told me about your Earth is true, then people there didn't seem to take the words 'nudity taboo' nearly as seriously."

_Ah...Nudist Beach...yeah...yeah, that's a fair point._

"Also I'm not as...ugh, nevermind...anyways...Roman armour. Let's start there."

. . .

Nearly half an hour later, Taylor had managed to hash out a much more socially acceptable outfit with Senketsu's help. Above her neck, the design remained much the same; she wore a pair of swooping, winglike pauldrons that extended out nearly a foot in either direction, Senketu's eyes staring out from each shoulder. Below the neck though, things had changed drastically. A breastplate of scalloped, black Life Fibers covered her torso, the two red straps that ran down her body providing a nice accent, rather than actually holding the outfit together. The skirt was longer, and tipped with small spikes, while her legs and arms were completely coated by Life Fibers. The only part of her that was uncovered was her head.

Speaking of...

"Hey Senketsu?"

_Mmmm?_

"I need a mask. To protect my identity."

_Huh? Is that a common practice here?_

"Well...yeah. I mean, New Wave doesn't, but they're the exception to the rule. It's generally accepted that if a hero wants to have a normal life, they need to have secret identity. PHO was very adamant about that, and about unmasking a cape without permission; they have strict rules about it and will ban anyone who talks about what a cape's identity could be."

_Hmmm...I suppose that makes sense. A mask, eh? I'll see what I can do. I assume you want lenses of some kind?_

"That'd be cool. I don't really want anything to gouge my eyes out."

_You do know that'd you heal from something like that within seconds, right?_

Taylor glared at Senketsu in the mirror.

"It would still hurt! Just give me a mask so that I don't have to find out what losing an eyeball feels like!"

_Alright partner._

Taylor felt the now familiar crawling sensation of Life Fibers shifting shape as Senketsu created a mask to conceal her face, her vision becoming slightly tinted as lens formed to protect her eyes. It reminded her of the face of a jack'o lantern; the lenses were yellow, red, and orange, imitating Senketsu's own eyes, and where her mouth would be was now a large red smile.

_Did you want me to retract the Life Fibers from your hair as well?_

Taylor considered that. If she allowed her new hair to be seen in her hero costume, and had Senketsu conceal it when she was out of costume...that would add another layer to her secret identity. Which was a good thing.

"Yeah, sure, let's see it."

_The fibers that had been making her hair appear normal retracted, and Taylor studied her completed hero costume in the mirror._

Honestly, she didn't think she looked much like a hero. Well, not like a 'hero' hero. Instead of being a tall, gangly teenage girl, the image in the mirror presented a deadly warrior with a ghoulish smile on it's face. Her unnatural hair fell down her back, shimmering and shifting in unsettling patterns, while her lenses and smile made her look almost demonic, and the armour, with all of it's spines and ridges, only reinforced that. On first glance, she'd probably be mistaken for a villain.

Then again, she knew that there were heroes who worked the intimidating angle very well. Shadow Stalker and Eidolon came to mind. They weren't as camera friendly as, say, Legend or Glory Girl, but they weren't meant to be. They struck fear into the hearts of villains and criminals.

And in a city like Brockton Bay, Taylor imagined that she would need a psychological tool like that. And once people knew that she was a hero, it wouldn't really matter anymore, right? Then only the criminals would be afraid of her.

"It's perfect, Senketsu."

X X X


End file.
